Missile for hypodermic medication



July 3, 1962 H. l. GREGORY MISSILE FOR HYPODERMIC MEDICATION Filed Aug. 25, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Haskell I. Gregory United States Patent Ofifice 3,042,406 Patented July 3, 1962.

3,042,406 MISSILE FOR HYPODERMIC MEDICATION I Haskell I. Gregory, Marion, Tex.

(P.O. Box 336, Lytle, Tex.) Filed Aug. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 756,774 3 Claims. (Cl. 2'73106.5)

This invention relates to a missile for hypodermic medication, and it concerns more particularly a projectile, such as a dart or an arrow, adapted to be thrown or shot from a bow or a gun, having a hypodermic syringe thereon capable of injecting a drug into the subcutaneous tissues of a target animal upon contact.

An object of the invention is to provide a missile of the type described for the use of veterinarians and others in treating animals at a distance, whether moving or not, or alternatively, for administering sedatives capable of stunning them sufiiciently to permit them to be caught.

Another object of the invention is to provide a missile as described which is capable of being used to capture wild animals, alive and unharmed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a missile as described in which the plunger of the syringe is connected to the shaft of the missile, whereby the syringe is caused to inject its medication into the tissues of the animal, upon contact, by the inertia of the shaft.

Another object of the invention is to provide a missile as described in which a coil spring is arranged parallel to the plunger of the syringe, exteriorly of the barrel thereof, and acts upon the plunger and the barrel to yieldably restrain the plunger against advancement relative to the barrel, whereby the syringe is prevented from discharging its contents in flight and the stroke of the plunger is cushioned, upon contact of the missile with the target, the spring thereafter being released as the plunger is advanced relative to the barrel, against the resistance of the spring, by the inertia of the shaft.

Another object of the invention is to provide a missile as described in which a resilient tubular element surrounds connected end portions of the barrel and the needle of the syringe and is capable of being compressed, upon contact, between the body of the animal and an external shoulder formed on the adjacent end of the barrel of the syringe, whereby the needle is automatically ejected from the body of the animal, after the syringe has discharged its contents, by expansion of the tubular element.

The invention will be readily understood by referring to the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in section taken on a median line, of a missile embodying the invention, showing the missile as it appears in flight;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal view taken at right angles to the view shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, showing the missile at the moment of contact with the target; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the resilient tubular element.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the shaft of an arrow, one end of which is feathered, as at 2, and has a notch 3 therein for engagement with the string of a bow, such as a cross bow. A hypodermic syringe 4 has a barrel 5, a plunger 6, and a needle 7. The outer end of the plunger 6 is connected to the end of the shaft 1 opposite the notch 3 by a dowel joint 8.

The plunger 6, with the exception of its inner end, is of the same diameter as the shaft 1, and forms an extension thereof. The arrangement is such that, when the arrow is shot, the syringe 4 is caused to inject its medication into the tissues of a target animal 9, upon contact, by the inertia of the shaft 1.

A ring 10 is received in a peripheral groove 11 which is formed in the plunger 6 exteriorly of the barrel 5. A coil spring 12 is arranged parallel to the plunger 6, exteriorly of the barrel 5, and is positioned between the ring 10 and the adjacent end of the barrel 5, one end of the spring 12 being connected to the ring 10 and having its opposite end freely engaging the rear end of the barrel 5. The spring 12 acts upon the plunger 6 and the barrel 5 to yieldably restrain the plunger 6 against advancement relative to the barrel 5, whereby the syringe 4 is prevented from discharging its contents in flight and the stroke of the plunger 6 is cushioned, upon contact of the arrow with the target 9, the free end of the spring 12 being released as the plunger 6 is advanced relative to the barrel 5, against the resistance of the spring 12, by the inertia of the shaft 1, as shown in FIGURE 3.

A resilient tubular element 13, which has an outside diameter coinciding with that of the barrel 5, surrounds connected end portions of the barrel 5 and the needle 7, and is retained in place as hereinafter described. The tubular element \13 is capable of being compressed, upon contact, between the body of the animal 9 and an external shoulder formed on the adjacent end of the barrel 5, whereby the needle 7 is automatically ejected from the body of the animal 9, after the syringe 4 has discharged its contents, by expansion of the tubular element 13.

The tubular element 13 has a pair of diametrically opposed notches 14 in the outer end thereof. A rubber band 15 is passed through aligned openings 16 provided therefor in the shaft 1 and the plunger 6, and extending through the joint 8. The ends of the rubber band 15 are passed through the notches 14 and looped over the needle 7, whereby the tubular element 13 is secured in place and the plunger 6 is secured in the barrel 5.

The spring 12 is sufficiently rigid to restrain the barrel 5 in its extended position on the shaft 1 against the tension of the rubber band 15 but is yieldable so that, upon contact with the target 9, its free end is released from the barrel 5, as shown in FIGURE 3, permitting the plunger 6 to move forward under the tension of the rubber band 15 to inject the contents of the syringe 4 into the animal, the penetration of the needle 7 having been accomplished by the inertia of the shaft 1 upon the impact thereof with the target 9.

The invention may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed. is:

1. In a missile for hypodermic medication of animals, adapted to be projected by a bow, a shaft having a barrel telescopically connected to its forward end and slidable thereon, a plunger formed on the end of said shaft within said barrel, the said plunger and said barrel forming a syringe containing a medicament, a hollow injection needle attached to the forward end of said barrel and communicating interiorly thereof, elastic means biasing said shaft longitudinally of said barrel, yieldable means restraining said shaft in extended position against the tension of said elastic biasing means and releasable upon impact of said needle with a target, and yieldable means embracing said needle and engaging the forward end of said barrel for resisting penetration of said needle into the target and withdrawing the same therefrom.

2. A hypodermic missile as described in claim 1 wherein the said yieldable means restraining said shaft comprises a coil spring connected at one end to said shaft and having its opposite end freely and releasably engaging said barrel.

3. In a hypodermic missile adapted for projection by a bow, a shaft having a plunger on its forward end, a barrel slidably embracing said shaft and adapted to contain a medicament capable of expulsion from said barrel by said plunger, a hollow needle connected to the forspaaaoe 3 4 ward end of said barrel and communicating interiorly Withdrawing the same from the target when the contents thereof for the discharge of its contents, a spring conof said barrel are discharged therefrom. nected at one end to said shaft and having its opposite end releasably engaging said barrel to restrain said plung- References Cited in the file of this Pawnt er therein, an elastic band biasing said shaft and said 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS plunger against said spring whereby to expel the contents dd eedd deeded deeded dedd deedde deed deeded Wddd e 5:233:13?) filii ii f iiiiiijiiii: B22: 3; iii;

target, and yieldable means surrounding said needle for 

